WFR! It Ends With Us and The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives

Blake Lively has been giving mean girl in the interviews for her newest film, and the feud between Justin and the rest of the cast continues. Plus, the shocking title of a new reality TV show has been released, and many people are understandably upset over it.

Lastly, I give a spoiler free review of the newest season of the House of the Dragon season 2—did it live up to the hype? 

Tune in for the juiciest takes on the latest pop culture drama!

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you don't have to face it alone. Reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text "START" to 88788 for confidential support. Help is available 24/7—you're not alone.

Thank you so much for listening!

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Transcript

Hi. Hello, and welcome back to the Unrelatable podcast. I am your host, Hannah. And really quick, I'm just gonna tell you what we're all about over here. A lot of you have been listening for a long time, but I do have some new listeners.

So this is a space on the Internet, wherever you're listening to this, where I like to dive into the everyday experiences, our past experiences that we have that define us from overcoming our fears to mental health, to fitness, our relationships with our body, relationships with friends. I mean, everything that makes us who we are. A lot of the times we feel like our core, who we are is unrelatable. And there are situations we've gone through in life that feel like we won't ever be able to maybe share these things. I don't know.

Maybe you feel a little bit alone in your experiences. Well, I enjoy bringing it to the mic. I enjoy talking about these situations because I find that when we do, we are able to get a better idea of who each other are and what makes us unique, but we're also able to realize that we are not so alone in these scenarios. And so it's not to be so, you know, oh my gosh. I'm so unrelatable to you.

It's more to show that a lot of times we do relate to each other. And even if we don't, we're able to get to know different perspectives and maybe see something from a perspective that we've never had before because a lot of us grow up in such different circumstances. And, you know, there's birth order. There's who your parents are, how they grew up, the dynamics, your religion, your belief system, if you go to college, if you don't, what kind of job you work. You get and you get what I'm saying.

And so there's so much that goes into it where I thought it would be fun to talk about that. And so besides our, you know, Thursday episodes where I dive into topics like that, I like to come on on Fridays. And that's what we're doing today. Today is a weekly Friday recap where, you know, they're bonus episodes. They're not every single week, but it's catching up.

It's catching up with each other in life, in pop culture, the books on my nightstand, those TV dramas that we just want to talk about, and more. In fact, that's probably why you're here. So I hope that you enjoy today's podcast. And with that, welcome back to the Unrelatable podcast. Every weekly Friday recap, I like doing beats of the week.

Beats of the week, you know, songs of the week. But today, I want to jump right into our episode. And so I felt like doing beats of the week at the end of the episode. So that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna put them at the end of the episode, then you can look them up while you're listening.

You can save them and then listen to them because I have some really good ones. I found an artist this year that I've really been enjoying as well as some notable mentions, some, you know, popular hits that we've all been liking. And so those will be saved for the end of the episode. But today, what are we gonna hit? Well, today, the focus is on a few things, and that is the it ends with us drama.

Because if you are on the Internet at all, you know that there is massive amounts of drama surrounding the it ends with us cast. We're also gonna talk about 5 minutes of spoiler free reviews from the last season of house of the dragons. Not the last season, but I guess the newest season because season 2 just finished. And then we're also going to talk about my thoughts on the newest Hulu TV show that's coming out on September 6th. Say it with me now.

The secret lives of Mormon wives. Very, very, very interesting kind of touchy subject. And so, yeah, that's about the mom talk. Mom talk on TikTok, Mormon wives. It's gonna be aired on Hulu.

And we're just gonna jump right on into it because I really wanted to share my thoughts on the it ends with us drama last week. But more and more comes out every week, and I also really felt like seeing the movie before I actually talked about it. I thought, okay. Yeah. I read the book several years ago.

I read it right when it was popular, and so it's been a long time. And the first note the first thing that we need to get out of the way is that there absolutely needs to be a domestic violence. I don't know if this is even can even be on YouTube, so I'm going to paraphrase that. There should be a DV trigger warning before the movie, and there isn't any. There needs to be a content warning even in the books.

And I know that Colleen Hoover has become sort of a controversial author because she doesn't believe in trigger warnings or content warnings. She believes that it will spoil the story. So I'm going to give it to you right now. It Ends With Us, needs to have a DV content warning. Her other book, Verity, needs to have a child abuse warning as well because I was not prepared for that.

I was told by a friend that there are some heavy scenes and that they wanted to let me know that there are gonna be some heavy scenes, but I didn't know what they were going to be. And that really, really, really caught me off guard. I think that there needs to absolutely be graphic warnings, content warnings, whatever the heck you're supposed to call it, on all of these things. It is the right of people to know what they're getting themselves into and to not be caught off guard because online, it's being represented as this romantic comedy. I mean, we've all seen it.

We've seen Blake walking around in her Britney Spears dress. Super excited, super stoked. Come to the show. Wear your florals. Bring your girlfriends.

It's gonna be a good time. So when I went and watched it, it had been a long time since I had read the book, and I knew what it was about. I remembered the story, but I didn't remember how intense it gets and how much is in it. And it is intense. And people, audibly, in the theater that I was in were, like like, making shocked sounds and, like, gasping, and it is not a lighthearted film.

So let's dive let's dive into it because Colleen Hoover let's talk about Colleen Hoover, first of all. She's the one that wrote the book, and there's been a lot of drama with this. There's been a lot of controversy because her son had abuse allegations against him, and she publicly defended him. And so this has a lot of people really, you know, kind of wondering what her intentions are to to, you know, have this book out that is defending and promoting awareness around this topic. But then to publicly defend your son's allegations I mean, I'm not even gonna go there.

I don't know everything that's going on there, but, yeah, we're just going to say and leave it at that. She publicly defended her son, and a lot of people say that she glorifies abuse, which I disagree. But I do think that maybe I disagree because I don't know the context in which they're saying that she's glorifying abuse. Maybe it's in the way of not giving it enough light and information for resources. Maybe it's in the way of not giving those content warnings.

I you know, there should be those disclaimers. There should be a hotline for domestic, for DV survivors to call. Again, same with Verity. And yeah. So what's been going on with the cast?

So Justin Baldoni, he directed the film, and Blake Lively produced it. They both play main characters in the film, and everybody unfollowed Justin Baldoni on Instagram. He still follows each of them, though, but he hasn't been at the press releases for It Ends With Us. So everyone was wondering, is this a PR stunt? I don't think so.

I don't think it's a PR stunt. I think something very real is happening. And this is the newest update is that Baldoni actually reportedly hired a crisis PR manager. Specifically, he hired Melissa Nathan of the agency group, and Melissa Nathan represented Johnny Depp during his trial with Amber Heard. And it just seems very intense and wild to hire, you know, Johnny Depp's former crisis PR when you're in, you know, hot waters of this movie where you're playing a domestic abuser.

And so it's just really interesting because I do think that we don't know thing that's going on, and I know that more light will probably be shed by the time I share this. I'm recording this 2 days before I post it. So I'm sure by the time it goes live, there's going to be more information, and we can talk about that during our next weekly Friday recap. But I'm just gonna go over everything that we've been seeing in the press as of now. So it's been a little bit tone deaf.

Blake Lively's PR, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, he brought in Hugh Jackman, who, if you didn't know, he plays Wolverine. And, no, I don't feel like I'm above explaining an actor and who they play because, listen, one of my worst pet peeves used to be when people would drop actors' names without any context, and I and and thought that I would know. Like, why would I know who you're referring to? And then I realized that, actually, I was the only child in my family that didn't get educated on movies. This is gonna be this is gonna be a a 62nd spiel, but I was the only one that got the typical Mormon parenting at the time, which was no r rated movies, no p g 13 movies until I was 16.

I know p g 13 technically means you should be 13, but my parents always said 16. You know? None of that. And what happens when your parents get divorced? You learn whose rules were whose.

There's no teamwork there. I mean, to be honest, what was was there ever? No. Just kidding. But, really, when my siblings would go to my dad's and I was in the later years of my high school and I had games and events and I wasn't going to my dad's house every single weekend, this was when he ended up moving out of town, so it did take time to go.

I would go, I would say, most of the time, but then I graduated and went on to college, and my siblings kept going to his place. Well, they all got educated on films, on all the movies, The Matrix, The Silver Linings Playbook, The Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, Footloose, Purple Rain. I mean, I've seen them now, but I was way undereducated in the movies department. My siblings can name the directors of films. They know the actors.

They knew who wrote the scores. And I decided it was something that I wanted to become a little bit more interested in and knowledgeable of maybe 2 years ago. You know, I used to say, oh, yeah. I don't, like, watch movies, you know, screen time. That's not me.

But then I realized, okay, Hannah. Why? Do you think that this gives you bonus points that you're saying that you don't ever sit down and relax? Because it's not. It's not cutesy.

It's not demure. It's giving very much pick me. And so I realized, okay. What am I trying to do? Just not be perceived as lazy?

Okay. Call me lazy if I enjoy a film, you know, every now and then. Like, who doesn't? And so now I'm really trying to learn actors and producers and kind of be in touch with that kind of stuff. And so, anyways, long story short, Ryan Reynolds, who is married to Blake Lively, brings over Hugh Jackman to support the film and take photos together at the premiere of it ends with us.

But what was just released alongside of It Ends With Us? Deadpool times Wolverine. Deadpool in which Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively's husband, plays Deadpool, and Wolverine, which Hugh Jackman plays. And so it's giving Deadpool times it ends with us, like, Barbenheimer. It's almost as if they're trying to duplicate what happened last year with, you know, Oppenheimer and Barbie and seeing them in a row and the marketing.

And the thing is is that actually happened quite naturally. And so it's really interesting that they're trying to make this a thing especially because Barbie was a really girly woman empowerment, love each other type movie. This is a DV awareness film. It's not happy, bright, loving, wear your florals and bring your girlfriends type movie. And it's just really interesting because in these interviews in these interviews, Blake Lively even said she was being asked a question.

I don't remember which question she was asked, but she looks above them and she says, oh my gosh. Wolverine and Deadpool is sold out? That's so not fair. That's crazy. Sorry.

Sorry. Sorry. It's just like blinking and flashing lights right there. Oh my gosh. That's crazy that they sold out.

I just can't believe it. And it's like, okay. I'm so sorry. This for being an actor, like, you come on, Blake. You should do better.

I have been a Blake Lively fan for so long. I only watched Gossip Girl. I never watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Gossip Girl is really the only thing that I had seen. Actually, I did see that time traveling or time aging one.

I forget which one that was. The age of Adeline? Was that it? I just have always felt like Blake Lively has given off this very demure, very nonchalant, very natural beauty, sort of classy woman. That's what she's been giving, but it's been very disappointing to see her in these interviews and to see her not give any notice or any representation to what the film is actually about and is really treating it in a very, very, very lighthearted way.

And so she wore a Britney Spears dress. Let's talk about this. She wore Britney Spears' was it Versace dress? And she didn't even acknowledge anything about the abuse that Britney Spears has overcome at the hands of all the men in her life. And instead, she says she's an icon.

She's young. She's a star, and, you know, at least wear the dress in solidarity. You know what I mean? At least wear the dress and give credence to yeah. I'm wearing this dress of someone who has gone through this as well and someone who is a very real example of overcoming this and of pushing through.

And, yeah, it might not define who you are, but it 100% was a defining moment in your story. Not only does she walk around being super casual in these interviews, but she decides to promote her new hairline throughout the movie marketing. I wish I could make this up. I wish I could make it up because it's hilarious. I mean, we all know that Blake's hair has been something that we've loved for ages and ages and ages.

But it's really funny because at the premiere, she's she's showing her hairline, and she takes these beautiful women. They volunteer and they go up to her and their hair is perfect. It's flawless. And she says, like, can I give it some oomph? And they're like, yes, please, Blake Lively.

Oh my gosh. Yes. Touch my hair. Do whatever you want. And she literally takes their hair and sprays a whole bunch of what I'm guessing is tech texturizing spray on it and scrubs it up and has them, like, move their head all around, and they walk away having, like, the messiest hairstyle.

I was like, is this a bad joke? Is this a bad joke? I'm so sorry. It's just I have loved Blake. And Ryan Reynolds, you know, enjoy watching him on TV, whatever.

I don't actually watch Deadpool because I watched the first one, and I was highly disturbed. I just don't like anything gory, bloody, nothing like that. It's not really up my alley, but we've loved him together. I mean, I feel like we've all shipped them, and I just learned some problematic things about them. Number 1, they got married on a plantation, which actually a lot of people have done.

You know, Justin Bieber and Hailey, and it's just I don't know. This is all speculation, of course, but I had no idea even like I said, before this, I was just living under a rock. But, apparently, Ryan Reynolds was married to Scarlett Johansson, which is wild to me. I love Scarlett Johansson. And what they told the public was that they were so they were just so busy, so they never saw each other and they didn't have enough time to invest into their family.

But there's been rumors that Reynolds has felt threatened by her more successful acting career. And in 2010, Ryan Reynolds was working on set with Blake Lively for Green Lantern, which I actually haven't seen. And they would be seen together almost like in date light date like atmospheres. And so people kind of were wondering, oh, are they dating? Is he cheating on Scarlett Johansson?

It never came out that he was cheating on her, but they did break up quickly after that. And then he got together with Blake Lively. And so there were lots of rumors surrounding that Blake Lively had something to do with it. Of course, they didn't start officially dating until 3 months after the divorce was actually finalized. And they say, you know, we were friends and buddies for a year and a half, and we went on a double date, but we were dating separate people.

At least that's what Ryan Reynolds had said. And so, yeah, I don't know. I know we always ship to them. I mean, maybe not not everybody, maybe just myself. And honestly, I know nothing about these people.

Remember, these are all just, you know, random, random chats about strangers on the Internet, about celebrities. And I think that the reason why things are crumbling really quickly for them right now is because we don't have the same feelings surrounding celebrities as we used to. I feel like we used to kind of look up to them a lot more than we do now, and we've kind of seen, you know, everybody's human, and it can either make us really love and respect someone more, or kind of humanize them. And so then when they go into interviews, acting all mean girl esque and all, I'm better than you. It just is really off putting.

And I think that that's what we're seeing. But anyways, let's get back to what we were talking about before. At the end of the day, everything's going to be speculation with what happened with Justin Baldoni. And it's just too bad. I I feel like almost Colleen might have been starstruck with everything and starstruck with Blake and kinda let her run with it.

But Blake mentioned several times that Ryan redid several of the scenes. You know, he redid the rooftop scene, and he's, you know, reproduced some of these things. And it just has felt very interesting the way that she's avoided touching on the DV every single time she's asked about it. There was this comment that I want to read, and it says, Justin Baldoni, who was the antagonist in the movie, but the one who read the book, understood the assignment and sharing the testimony to the world about domestic violence. He's done the PR.

Right? As a reader, I was shocked that my work colleagues and girlfriends thought this was a rom com. Come to find out it's being promoted in such a carefree way talking about fashion, shoes, and bake offs, but more important, the subject of DV, practically nonexistent, save for Justin Baldoni's promotions. As a female and DV survivor, my heart hurts with disappointment. I hope it is number 1 in gaining so much revenue as it has has made you all happy because it looks like that's the primary focus.

I'm thankful for Baldoni who may play the antagonist, but is being the advocate and utilizing his public platforms about DV awareness. Because, yes, Justin has been advocating for survivors the entire time. He even has it on his bio and Instagram. He's been very aware, very vocal, and has been really trying to exemplify the meaning of the film. And so it's just it's just too bad because the way that, like, even approached one of the interviews, she said, you know, victims of DV are not defined by their DV.

And number 1, obviously. Okay? But being able to separate yourself from your past of DV isn't done so easily of just yeah, this isn't me. You know, if you're ever even able to separate yourself from that because it is a traumatic experience that will change you for the rest of your life. And saying that it doesn't define you when it literally alters your brain chemistry, it just feels so I mean, anyone that's gone through any sort of trauma can say that it will impact you in any decisions you make, whether you've healed from it or not.

It might not still define you anymore, but it it was a defining moment in your life and will forever impact you. And so that's why it's feeling a little tone deaf, and it shouldn't be promoted as this cutesy summer film. It simply shouldn't be promoted as that. And it's just been very frustrating to see that, and it's been frustrating. And hearing other women's stories as they've commented on the interviews and the sour way that Blake has responded.

There was a very specific interview in which Blake was asked by this interviewer, hey. This show is going to touch a lot of people's hearts, and it's going to really make an impact on lots of women, Blake. So what would you say to them? How can they approach you and speak about this conversation with you? How would they be able to come to you about this in a respectful manner?

And she says, what? Do you want my phone number? You want my home address? Should I location share with you? Should I just share my location?

And she's laughing, and she's taking it so unseriously and almost mocking. And it's just really too bad we did not get an actor that actually cared about the story, the character, and the meaning of the film. It's been really shocking, and I feel like that's why she's being compared to JLo because J. Lo, as of recent years, has been coming off as really not self aware and just kind of tone deaf about everything that she's interviewed about. And Justin has been advocating for it.

And Justin has been at the forefront of advocating for the reason why he cared so much about this movie, why he bought the rights to the film and wanted to direct it. And it's just kind of been taken over by Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and it's almost become really clicky. And the fact that 1 in 3 women are domestic violence survivors and or victims, every 9 seconds, a woman in America makes a phone call for help. And I just wish we could have had an actress who cared for the role and understood the meaning behind her character. She's so far removed from reality.

She's so far removed from this role. It's it's like it just was upsetting there wasn't more intention. You know, 33% of viewers going into this movie have been through it or have survived it. And if they haven't, they know somebody close to them who has. And to have someone not understand it, to have someone I mean, we all know she was a Nepo baby.

She got her foot in the door from her family, from her sister. That's the quickest way to success. Right? And usually Nepo babies say, yeah. Well, all that got me was a foot in the door, and then I had to do the work and blah blah blah.

But that's the whole point. Everyone that isn't born into a family full of these opportunities is fighting for the foot in the door. They're fighting for that opportunity. They're fighting to be able to even show someone of importance the skills they have and their hard work. But instead of recognizing this and really embracing the role and embracing the privilege of being in this position to be able to speak to so many women and to speak to this role, she decided to to use this opportunity.

She decided to use it to to promote her hairline, to promote her husband's film, to talk about her Britney Spears dress, and to act like it's been a sequel to Barbie. You know? It's been really interesting because I don't think that she saw this coming. I don't think the unraveling of the perfect character that we all thought that Blake Lively was was in our 2024 vision, and it's happening right before our eyes. And so I'm really interested if something's going to come of it, if she's going to say something.

You know? She's playing herself in the film, and that's really that's really what she what what she's done in all of her roles. You know? That's something that I've noticed and some critique that I've heard is, you know, she even said in an interview that she can't just be given a script and some clothes, that she plays herself and that she has to produce it the way that she wants to. And she literally said in so many interviews, the boots were mine.

The sweaters were Gigi Hadid's. Those Louis Vuittons you saw in that one scene, yeah, those are mine, and these are mine. And it's just sharing where your clothes are from and that they're all yours and bragging about this and bragging about your dresses, Britney Spears, but not touching on the fact that Britney Spears was also a victim. She just lacks the range. She lacks the depth.

She lacks the I don't know. Just I don't know. How do you how do you accept a role like this and not understand the the implications and the responsibility that you have? I'm not sitting here hating on her. Maybe I am.

I always thought that she was just the most wonderful thing. Why? I mean, had I listened to an interview with her before this? No. I think I was just obsessed with Gossip Girl as, you know, a middle school, high school girl, and that was forever the Blake Lively that was in my mind.

And I know that a lot of people have concerns about Justin since he has been unfollowed by the rest of the cast and since he is kind of one of those men on social media that promotes himself as really self aware, who's in touch with himself and in touch with women and and self growth and whatnot. And I don't have anything to say on that because I honestly I mean, I don't know him. I don't know Blake Lively either. But from what I have seen from what I've seen from the way that the interviews have been carried out, I feel like it's okay and fair to draw some conclusions as of right now. Maybe that will change later.

You know, an article did come out saying that he was borderline abusive on set. And so, yeah, there's more to the story. I mean, he just hired that PR lawyer who Depp used. And, you know, by the time you guys hear this, there will probably be so much more out, and it'll probably be, you know, all outdated and whatnot. But we can touch on it again in our next weekly Friday recap because I just think it is very interesting, and I would love to know all of your thoughts on this.

It's just been a bit disappointing. That being said, I really thought the film besides noticing the fact that Blake really does play herself in every movie that she's in. I thought the film was done in a very, very beautiful way. I feel like the movie was brought to life from the books. Of course, I enter every movie that is produced after a book.

I look at it as a different story as to not be disappointed by the interpretations of it and the adaptation of it. And I do I I would have loved to see a new actor. I would have loved to see an actor who could have played Lily Bloom in a much more authentic way, who could have really represented her character and maybe understood where she come from so that they could, you know, promote the film in a lot more of a an aware, responsible manner. A few other things have come out too as to where Blake was unhappy because, I guess, Justin has some back issues. And so he had asked for a weight.

He was wondering how much she weighed so he could prepare his back through physical therapy in order to know how to pick her up. And I might just have a different take on this because, I mean, I had back issues in cheer. I had to wear a back brace. I know how that is. I've seen my mom go through herniated discs.

I've had family members have back surgeries. And so I've seen what it's like to have that problem and to need to be aware of how much weight you're lifting and that you're lifting it properly and whatnot. And especially when you're a tall woman, you will weigh more. And so it's kind of hard to guesstimate that. I mean, yeah.

Could he have prepared to lift £400? Unnecessary, first of all. But, yeah, sure. But maybe I don't know. Maybe he didn't need to know the exact weight.

Maybe just give a range. I just feel like if you're an actor or a model or you're in that industry, weight, height, everything is always going to be a factor. And so it kind of seems an interesting thing to be upset about. I'm not saying that she shouldn't feel upset about it, but I'm just saying, I just don't know. I don't know how to feel about it because, obviously, that's going to be a triggering topic for many women, and I totally understand that.

But coming from the back issues kind of perspective, If it's something that extreme, which it sounds like it is, I totally understand that side of it. And I understand you have to be aware and you have to kind of know how to prepare for it. And so I don't know. I guess, sue me if I seem like I'm not being empathetic towards that. I just feel like she's in the movie industry.

They're probably taking weight already there. I don't know. Maybe it's not as superficial as it used to be. Maybe it's not as superficial. Maybe I'm just got this all wrong, and that's totally okay if I do, and it's totally okay if you disagree.

But the other thing that she was upset about was that, apparently, he was holding a kiss for too long, And so she didn't like that. And so I don't know. Is he attracted to you or is he not attracted to you? You know, is he fat shaming you or is he obsessed with you? I just feel like these concerns and these complaints are very I don't know.

We could hear that from any actor. But from what I imagine from acting being is you probably have to act a little bit longer in a scene so that they can get as much as they need before quitting too early. Like, if you quit too early, the entire thing's a wash. So, yeah, you might have to hold a kiss a little bit longer. And, also, you're an actor.

If you don't wanna be kissing someone, then don't sign up for the role. Is this just weird of me? And I I don't wanna seem like I'm not supporting women by saying these things because I do. I mean, if I don't know. I just feel like there's the way that we've seen her in interviews has just kind of really backed up this weird, I'm the center of attention and more important than everybody else mantle that she seems to stand on, which is I guess it has kind of impacted the way that I'm the the stance that I'm taking.

And so I could be completely wrong, and it's totally fine if you disagree with everything that I'm saying. But those were some new points of information that kind of came out this week that was part of the problem. And I'm sure more things will come out week by week, day by day. And so I will be commenting on that all later. So let's get on to the next topic of the day, which is the secret lives of Mormon wives.

What was your first thought upon hearing that? If you are not from Utah or Arizona or if you're not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, previously known as Mormon, you're probably not going to know why this is controversial. So I will be touching on that. 1st, I'm going to talk about the origins of how the show started, of the cast members of the show, and why is this even being made into the show? What's the background story of the people that are going to be on it?

Not every single character, obviously, just the biggest ones. Of course, it's about, you know, the swinging scandal that happened in Utah. And then I'm going to talk about the announcement of the show and the title and kind of the emotions and the general public's reaction to that and then my own personal response and opinion. So in the preview of this series that actually just dropped today, Taylor, she's the she's the one with the beautiful long hair. She's the one that you'll probably recognize and is the most generalized mom talk mom, I would say.

I would say most people who have been on TikTok or mom talk would recognize her. She says that she started mom talk. And in the preview, they say, we are trying to change the stigma of gender roles in the Mormon culture. And that's something obviously that can be triggering as well. So we will touch on both of those.

The mom talk or, you know, Mormon swinging scandal, it revolves around this group of Mormon influencers on TikTok, and they do call themselves Mormon influencers. Maybe some of them are not Mormon anymore, but they did get really famous by using the word Mormon. And Taylor Frankie Paul, she became the center of attention in 2022 because of the allegations of soft swinging. Taylor and her friends, all of them are mom talks. All of them are mom talks.

All of them are on mom talk. And they would dance oftentimes, and they would say that they were sister wise, and they would say all these things and kinda make jokes. And, you know, being someone that hasn't been affiliated with the religion in several years, even I was kind of like, okay. But you guys are just lying to get views. Why are you lying to get views?

And it was just kind of interesting and strange, but, you know wow. I feel like I'm losing my voice now, so sorry about that. But, essentially, Taylor and her friends were all known for sharing content about their lives and being young Mormon moms. And it really shocked the Internet when Taylor went on to a live stream, and she shared that herself and some of the other couples that she had been doing TikToks with had been involved in soft swinging. Hannah, what is soft swinging?

Well, apparently, it's a form of partner swapping where sexual intercourse is not involved, but other forms of intimacy are. And they would do it all in the same room. There were ground rules like kissing was fine, sex wasn't fine. And in her livestream, she said, everyone has hooked up with everyone. And it escalated when Taylor admitted that she violated the rules of the group by being intimate with one of their husbands privately, separate from the group and, you know, behind closed doors.

And this ultimately led to Taylor getting divorced, divorcing from her husband, Tate Paul. And this this huge outburst to the sharing of this really personal information amongst the soft swingers, my guess was that it was not shared with consent. I don't think that all of the members of this soft swinging group had given consent to this information being shared, and Taylor did share it on her live streams on TikTok. Oh my gosh. It's literally so messy.

Every day, I'm, like, so grateful that this is not any anything any part of my story. But no shame. Whatever. Gotta do what you gotta do for the clout. Right?

But yeah. So, basically, what happened was it caused a massive fallout in the group, which was when a lot of the members distanced themselves from Taylor, and it sparked a much broader conversation about the private lives of these influencers and, really, the implications of their behavior within the church. You know? How are they calling themselves members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints if they're being soft swingers? Because let me tell you, that is not that is not what you do when you are a member of the church.

And so, yeah, this basically spread in 2022. Is that what I said? Yeah. In 2022 and all across TikTok and every, you know, social media platform that there was. And everyone was kind of scrutinizing them, criticizing them, asking their authenticity and how appropriate it was to share this kind of content, especially with their religious backgrounds.

And, oh, there's no way that you are actually Mormon because if you were, then you wouldn't be acting this way. Right? And I, by the way, I am very I I know that, you're supposed to refer to members as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, but I'm going to be saying Mormon during this episode because if I said the 10 words, it would just take me way too long and it would become really, like, repetitive. So please forgive me for that. But, yeah, essentially, the scandal was just a big one in Utah and Arizona because, you know, it had to do with religious values, with social media culture, with personal relationships, with divorce and marriage.

And it made it a really viral topic and became really popular out outside of the, you know, just Mormon community outside of Utah, Arizona. And so what happened? Well, of course, a TV show picked it up, and they decided to capitalize on it. So Hulu picks it up, and it's premiering on September 6. And the premise of the show is exploring the lives of, you know, this group of Mormon mom, Mormon mom influencers, Lost my words there.

Including Taylor. And it's you know, it promises to dive into the drama, the controversies, and how they're dealing with the aftermath of that scandal. And the person that's producing it, his name is Jeff Jenkins. Actually, it's by the Jeff Jenkins production, so I don't know if it's specifically him. But he produced Bling Empire and My Unorthodox Life.

I've not seen my unorthodox life, but I have seen bling empire and viewer discretion advised 110%. It is a wild show. I just remember when I was watching it, I was shocked because it's showing it's showing a completely different life than most of us. It's showing a a completely different life than most of us live. I mean, let me read this definition.

It says, Bling Empire is a reality TV series that premiered in January of 2021. It shows a group of wealthy Asians and Asian American socialites living in LA. It's often described as a real life version of the film Crazy Rich Asians. It's known for its mix of glamour, drama, cultural exploration, and provides a glimpse into the lives of some of the richest people in the world. It definitely can be explicit at times though, so that's why I'm giving you a a warning.

So they're the ones that is producing it. And in the preview that we just saw today well, you probably saw it a few days ago, but today is when I'm recording it. As you know, we get to see the famous 911 call that was called on Taylor, Frankie, Paul. If you don't know what I'm referring to, this happened after her swinging scandal in February of 2023. And I'm going to tell you exactly what happened.

So she being, you know, the center of mom talk, one of the main members, she was involved with a serious incident which led to police being called. I'm, like, losing my words because I don't know how to explain this without reading straight from my notes. So I'm gonna read from my notes. Essentially, there was an altercation between Taylor and her boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, at her home in Utah. And according to the reports, the incident escalated into a physical confrontation leading to Taylor being arrested on charges of DV and child abuse as her children were reportedly present during their altercation, and I think one of them got hurt with what was going on with Taylor and her boyfriend.

And so Taylor was charged with several offenses, including felony counts of aggravated assault and criminal mischief, as well as misdemeanor charges related to domestic violence in the presence of a child. And as you can imagine it's a lot. It's a lot right there. And as you can imagine, this news exploded all over the place. And I remember thinking, oh my gosh.

I haven't heard of her since the swinging scandal, and now this is coming out. It was really, really a lot. And so with, you know, her previous persona as a social media influencer, it blew up everywhere. And as for their relationship with, you know, her relationship with Dakota, he made statements saying that he did not believe that her actions were typical of her and that they were both working on their relationship. It was kind of implied that she had been drunk and she had been an alcoholic at this time.

And so they have actually remained together, and they've been a lot more private about their relationship, which is probably for the best, and they have since then had a baby together. I I've watched some of her TikToks, and she is now sober. She is now seeming to be in a much better headspace. But, yes, she obviously faced huge backlash and lots of legal consequences, which has further complicated her image and mom talk community and the ongoing surrounding drama with that. And so that's kind of what we have to look forward to.

I don't know if I should say that, but that's essentially what the show is going to touch on is the swinging scandal, is this phone call that happened and this huge, huge, huge, huge time in Taylor's life where her life basically crumbled and she I'm pretty sure she lost custody of her kids for you know, I don't I don't even I don't even know if it's 5050. Honestly, I would say it's none of my business, but this is going to be on TV now. So now we're all gonna know, I guess. But yeah. So what happened when the announcement happened of, you know, it's being called the secret lives of Mormon wives?

Well, a lot of people are feeling really frustrated about it because, you know, there's obviously concerns that it's reinforcing negative stereotypes and misrepresenting beliefs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. And I was just saying how Mormons prefer to be referred to as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, but it is a newer title from the last, I don't know, 5, 6 years. And growing up, I was always referred to as and called myself and was proud to call myself a Mormon. I mean, my mom and I not my mom and I, but my mom even had an I am a Mormon video that the church came to our home and produced because my mom runs a nonprofit, and they wanted to highlight that. And so in my in from my best guess from my best guess, it's more like they're running with the term because that's the commonly known title and because it's rage bait.

It's click bait. They know what they're doing. They're trying to get an emotional rise out of people, and and that's what it's doing, obviously. I mean, a lot of people have been wondering and, again, we'll touch on that again in just a minute. But a lot of people have been wondering if, like, is this show an even an appropriate space to address these actions or to capitalize on the controversy?

I mean, there's lots of personal issues. There's lots of sensitive issues that are going to be publicized for the sake of drama. And a lot of the people that were in the swinging scandal, 2 of them namely Miranda and Camille, they're not even going to be on the show. They declined the the offer to be on the show, and you could actually listen to some of the cast members and some of the people who were within the swinging allegations podcast episodes. I know Weekly Trash interviewed them.

And so, yeah, you can go see them on there. But let me tell you about a few of the cast members real quickly. I actually didn't do the research on each of them, but a few of them I did. And so we've got Taylor, and I've told you all of her controversy. And then we've got Whitney.

And, Whitney, she had a she had a very interesting experience on TikTok. Let's call it controversial...when she filmed herself dancing a TikTok dance with her baby in the in the PICU. It's like the NICU, but more, I'm pretty sure is is the PICU more advanced? But her baby essentially had RSV. So a very, very, very serious very, very, very serious illness.

And she was filming herself dancing next to her baby and smiling and dancing and whatnot and posted it online, and it was very controversial. Her husband was also caught on Tinder while they were married. So that's another cast member that's gonna be on there. And then there's one named Macy. And from my very quick and little research, she, unfortunately, lost her partner in a car wreck when she was pregnant with her first baby at 19.

And since then, I think she's gotten married and gone through a big and long IVF journey to have more babies. Another cast member's name is Mikaela, and she's gone through 2 years of having a chronic illness. And so there is obviously a lot more depth to these people than just the typical mom talk drama. And what it's looking like is that I think maybe 20% of them are actually members and the rest of them used to be members. You know, they grew up in the church.

They got married young, and they got married in the temple, and they grew grew on TikTok being Mormon, and a lot of them have left. And so I think I will be watching it. I'm interested to see how everyone's represented and how the church is represented. Because growing up in the church, I have a firsthand experience of it. And knowing that, I know that everybody's experience is so different because what people choose to follow and what they don't choose to follow is very unique to each other.

And listen, I know how the pressures are. You know, I know firsthand what it's like to not follow the rules and to have that public embarrassment and to have to repent on all the things. For example, you are not supposed to have sex before marriage. And that is just a common teaching, and it's something that is very important to follow. And I did not follow that, and I hope you believe me when I say I felt guilt every single day for that.

And so, you know, I saw people who had gotten married in the temple anyways and, you know, had kind of figured out a way to still have that happen, and we did not do that. We ended up going and getting married outside of the temple and, you know, having that kind of public exposure of, oh, yeah, you know who did and who didn't follow the commandments. And it used to be where if you were not married in the temple as a member, you had to wait an entire year to get sealed. And correct me if I'm wrong, I always stand to be corrected whenever needs be. I think now you can be married outside the temple and then sealed the very next day.

And so there's not that really long waiting timeline where you're continuously repenting and working on getting better and taking temple prep lessons and and whatnot. And so I, you know, understand what it's like to not follow how you're supposed to follow everything, but, you know, you still care and you still believe and you still desire to follow that path. But, again, my story is different as to where I'm obviously distanced myself from that now. And so, yeah, I just find it really interesting, and it's going to be interesting how it's represented. And I let's talk about this for a second.

I think it's an interesting because the church's stance has always been, we don't care if you are imperfect. We want you anyway. You know, we don't care if you mess up one day, come to church the next day, and we will love you for who you are. And you'll see some members say that teachings are personal, that they're up for interpretation, and you're not supposed to judge people who don't wear garments or judge people who don't wear them all the time. You know, that the rules on piercings or coffee are just suggestions and you can interpret that in your own way.

And that even if you don't follow them, that you're wanted, you're desired, and you're a loved member in the church. It seems to me like that is the current structure of the church. It wasn't necessarily that way when I was in it. When I was in it, it was very, very, very black and white of you do need to do this and you can't do this. And I know that that's controversial to say because that might not be how it is now, but that was how I grew up personally.

And so it's really interesting because it is not so black and white now, But but when we're looking at it and when we're looking at these women who really don't represent what a true and faithful member would look like, it can be frustrating for people who are. Does that make sense? And, you know, having the like I was just saying, having the thought of, you know, we don't judge you if you drink, still come to church. It's a personal decision. And, you know, of course, you can't hold a temple recommend if you do those things.

But, you know, it's interesting when it's just black and white and when people when there is nuance there and then when there's not nuance there. And it's, like, is it okay for someone who is still a member of the church to be half in, half out, you know, making these decisions on their own and still claim the title of Mormon? It makes sense to me that people don't want to be misrepresented, first of all. Let's get that out of the way. It makes sense, you know, that a faithful Mormon individual, a faithful member more accurately said, is not what you'll be seeing on the TV, but it's on the title.

Because if it were to be accurate, it it would be reading The Secret Lives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints Wives. And that's not what they're doing. You know, it's clickbaity. It's rage bait. And, you know, maybe calling it the secret lives of Utah wives would have been a better title, but it's having the Mormon in there that is that is going to bring people to watch the show, and it's all about TV.

And is it fair? No. Of course. Of course not. You know?

And so I don't know. All I know is that like I said before, they all did used to be Mormon, but I think more than half of them are not now. And in my opinion, I liked what Maddie Murphy had to say about this from the bad broadcast, where it's going to be like Housewives of Salt Lake City, where, initially, people were really upset that members were going to be, you know, viewed at as, you know, really a different light than what is actually correct and what is actually the teachings and the beliefs. But I liked what Maddie said. She said people aren't going to go to the TV show to learn about to learn about the church.

Nobody's nobody that's actively interested in the church is going to use that as an accurate representation of it. It's going to be looked at as a joke like the housewives is. But at the same time, you know, I get it. I wouldn't want to be represented wrongly. I don't want my family members to be represented wrongly.

You know, half of my family are members. And I know that this can hit hard. And I know that it's a concern. It's clickbait, it's ragebait, and it's worked, and that's unfortunate. And unfortunately, it's an easy target.

And I'm just really wondering how it's gonna go. Are you guys gonna watch it? I I just can't believe that that people agree to be on TV shows. Half the time, I'm like, oh, yeah. I would totally love to be on a TV show.

And then the other half of the time, I'm like, no. Not being able to control my edit, having probably, you know, a hunched back because I'm sitting there on the countertop eating my ratio yogurt, you know, just having that being shown on TV. You know? I don't know if I could handle it. So, yeah, anyways, let me know if you want to hear about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives episodes, and maybe I could do a little weekly Friday recap of them as they're being aired.

Just let me know what your thoughts on that is because I'm really curious. I know most of my listeners are from Utah and Arizona. And, yeah, it's just going to be really interesting, and I really enjoyed having a conversation around it. But let's move on to house of the dragons. So in my opinion, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, they should have taken some notes on how Olivia Cook and Emma Darcy promoted the entire season because we love both of them.

And Blake and Justin might need some PR PR lessons here or maybe just Blake. Maybe, Blake, if you were going to decide to go solo, let's maybe capitalize on the meaning of the film a little bit more. Okay. I I will let that go. I will let that go now because it's time for house of the dragons.

Listen. I came into Game of Thrones very late. The TV series was already over by the time that I watched it. And for anyone that's worried about the show, I'm sure you've heard there can be some very graphic scenes. There can be some SA.

There can be some gore and blood. Watch it on VidAngel. When I tell you that my uncle came to me and he was like, Hannah, you have to watch Game of Thrones, my jaw dropped because I hadn't seen it yet. And I was, like, uncle, how are you watching Game of Thrones? You are a believing, faithful member of the church.

What are you doing watching these shows? And he said, oh, I watched it on VidAngel, and it cuts everything out. So that's what I would suggest to everybody that's been interested in the show because it is one of the most incredible series that has ever been produced in the land of the the, entire world. I almost just said the land of the USA. It was filmed not just in the USA.

It was filmed all over the world, actually. So, yeah, it was one of the most incredible shows. Of course, the end is terrible, but don't let that stop you from watching it because the character development is crazy. And so what is house of the dragons? Well, house of the dragons is placed many, many, many years before Game of Thrones.

And so I'm not going to spoil anything about it. All I'm gonna say is that people who were Game of Thrones fans have been waiting for the series for a very, very, very long time. And in between each season is about 2 years. That's a long time, and it really sucks watching it watching it in real time. I'm gonna tell you that.

It really sucks because now now I know how everyone feels when they're watching Game of Thrones because you don't get to just binge the entire show. It's kinda too bad. So, anyways, just watched season 2, and I feel like the entire house of the dragon season 2 was a trailer for season 3. Yep. We have been building up and building up to something, and it was deferred.

And I was reading why it was deferred, and it was deferred actually because of the budget, which is crazy because I'm pretty sure Game of Thrones had the highest budget known ever for a TV show. And so I'm hoping that we can really get what we're wanting out of house of the dragons because it's more focused on dragons, if you couldn't tell. It sounds really corny, but I promise you have to give it you have to give Game of Thrones a chance. And it was remember, you know, it's an older show. You kinda have to get through the 1st season knowing that that it was an older show, and it was done a long time ago, and, of course, watch it on VidAngel.

That'll make you feel more comfortable about it. I I promise. But yeah. So they're going to start filming season 3 of house of the dragons early next year, and we're only gonna get 4 seasons. We were supposed to get 10 episodes a piece every single season every single season, but it's been shortened to 8, which is a little bit disappointing.

I'm guessing it's because of budget, and it kind of is annoying because they're coming out with multiple other shows. I know that night of the 7 kingdoms is coming out in 2025, and this is happening a 100 years after house of the dragons, a 100 years before Game of Thrones. And so, yeah, we're getting another TV show after this, and I kinda just wish that the budget could just all be put into this one because I want it to be as long as necessary in order to get the best character development, the best story building that we can. I know I know I could just read the Game of Thrones, house of the dragons books. I did read book 1 and 2 of Game of Thrones, but I just have to say, George RR Martin, there's lots of details in there that I don't really wanna know.

There's lots of details that just feel long, and maybe I'll try it on audiobook. Maybe I will. I have all the books on my shelf, so maybe I just need to read it. I would love another world in which we get a different ending than we did in Game of Thrones, obviously, but I don't know if he's ever going to release those last two books. I'm pretty sure it is.

Maybe it's just one. I don't know if there's ever a world that exists in which he releases those. We can only hope. So before this episode gets too long, let's end with our beats of the week. I have not discovered yellow house, but I've been introduced to them by my sister.

And the song in which she showed to me was trouble always finds me, and this is a very mellow and a little bit somber of a song. It feels this is gonna get corny. It feels like how sometimes that cycle of depression feels, and I like that. I like that this song feels like that cycle, and it kinda feels like, you know, trouble trouble always finds me. You know?

It it's always here waiting around, and it sounds depressing, but I I would love for you to play it. It's a little bit, you know, jungle safari esque, but it's been something that I've been listening to on repeat because if you know, you know. You know, if you've been listening to my past few episodes, you know, it's been something I've been struggling with. But I really, really, really like yellow house. He is incredible, and I was looking him up on Instagram.

He only has 6,000 followers. I feel like he's going to absolutely blow up this year. If you want a song that's a little bit more ethereal and happy, I would look up Blowing Away. Blowing Away by Yellow House. That one feels like you're letting go and being carried with the wind.

It's so nice to just listen to it while you're driving. Another one is Milk and Honey. This is just nostalgic. It's warm. I feel like every time I'm listening to him, I'm transported to another place, and I can feel the music in my bones.

And that's something I've really, really appreciated. That's something that's made me feel alive and grounded. And so I'm grateful to have found him this year, whether it's a sorrowful, sad song or if it's really ethereal. I really, really, really like him. Listen to those 2 actually, 3.

Trouble Always Finds Me, Blowing Away, Milk and Honey, and then Better Views. So that's 4 by Yellow House. The next one is I might be giving you guys too many this week. We'll say it. Close to Angels by Erykah, and you spell her name, e r y k a h, and then officer, how you would imagine you spell it.

And this one's beautiful. I really like it and I don't have any other notes besides that. So look them up. I really I really like her music. And finally, you know that I can't leave an episode without some beats.

This is for when you're driving to your workout and your mood isn't necessarily feeling super pumped up. You know, you're not super stoked. You're not playing, you know, anything crazy. You kind of have to warm up to it. And this one is Rich Spirit by Kendrick Lamar.

Yeah. I like this song. Of course, Kendrick Lamar has been on all of our top listen to this year, as he should be. And in that note, I actually wanted to tell you this. This is actually another weekly Friday recap sort of news that Drake released a 100 gigabytes worth of content.

And this content includes documentary, like, footage. It includes past songs. It includes original footage to songs like Kanye West's tracks. It includes 3 new songs and shows the processes of him making lots of his songs. And so I think he dropped this in order to kind of show, like, yeah, I do make real music, and I am a producer, and I do have skills.

So I don't know. Maybe it's an insight to a documentary or a new album. We will see. I don't really know. I'm still on the Kendrick Lamar train.

And then it wouldn't be a beats of the week if I didn't recommend to you one less artist, and this would be my brother. My brother produces and writes his own music. He raps on it. It is explicit, so proceed as you would. But his artist name is Sonny Doggy, s o n n y d o g g y.

Had to give him a shout out because he's been working on this project for a long time. And the song that I would recommend that I've been playing constantly is Booms and Sunny Doggy and Polo Tee and Bounce To This. All that to say his album's really great. Check it out. Stream his stuff.

It's really good. I'm really proud of him, and it's just something that I've been waiting for for a long time. So go stream his stuff. Well, now that we've come to this place, I need to go touch grass because all of this TV talk has got my head spinning with the most random stuff and the most random thoughts. And it's all it's all fun and all, and I appreciate talking about it.

I hope you guys have the most wonderful weekend. Thanks again for tuning into the Unrelatable podcast and I will see you next week. Bye.